A/N: Chapter 11 of Lost Sky. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OCs. Tower of God belongs to the rightful owner.
Special thanks to the reviewers and ot the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Season 1: Episode 11
Han Sung Yu's room...
"Huh?!" The 2nd floor's supervisor gaped with an open mouth, staring at his guest like a fish out of water. "The number of winners from the 1st test...is only three?! How did you give the test?! Did you do some sort of endless death math?"
"Y-You know me...I don't like boring stuff..." The messenger, a young man with red hair and similar colored eyes, said sheepishly. He had a much darker complexion in comparison to his fellow cohorts and the most significant aspect of his clothing was the white lab coat. It was much like Lero-Ro but without the flared out legs. "So I just did a 30 minute survival match for fun..."
"So what you're saying Quint...is that only 3 out of 200 survived in 30 minutes?" Han frowned as if he couldn't believe it what he was hearing. "Is that what you're trying to say?"
"Y...Yes!" Quint exclaimed as he held his arms out to the side in dramatic fashion. "It might sound crazy but it is true! Only 3 survived in 30 minutes!"
"Then, who're the 3?" Han questioned, feeling very curious about who the mysterious players were. "Are they the Princess of Jahad? Or perhaps Irregulars?"
"Um...W...Well..." Quint twiddled his thumbs, trying to figure out how to tell his fellow administrator what he just learned while administrating the test. "It's...there were both..."
"WHAT!? What are you talking about!" Han screeched at him, eyebrows arched in shock.. "You mean there was an Irregular and the Daughter of Jahad...together?"
"Yeah..."
"But then why didn't you inform me?! And what's even worse, why did you carry on with the test with those monsters involved! Are you nuts? Huh?!"
"...I-I forgot...to check..." Quint replied meekly, feeling the anger rise from the man standing about a foot away from him.
"You forgot to check the information on the combatants? What were you doing?! Huh?!"
"So...Sorry..."
"Oh my..." Han released a sigh before slapping his forehead with a groan. "What can we do now...how can this happen while is away...if the administrator know this...no...he might already know..."
"Then...what happens...?" Quint asked in a soft voice, causing the 2nd floor administrator to glare daggers at him.
"If Mr. Evankhell knows about this—you and I will be fired! Fired I say!"
"Ahh! I'm sorry!" Quint apologized, bowing his head over and over at how enraged his fellow administrator was. "Isn't there anything you could do?"
"Do what exactly?!" He spat with irritation, tightening his hands into fists without noticing. "Make yourself useful and become a damn ghost!"
"Please! I don't want to die yet!"
"Then why don't you do some donation before you die?"
"Arghhhh! Please! Han Sung!" Quint begged and pleaded like his life depended on it, even willing to kneel on his knees if needed. "I'll fill this room with instant coffee!"
"...phew..." The 2nd floor's test administrator released a sigh and decided to pity the poor soul. "What can we do. I guess I'll look for a way out."
"Wow! Really?" Quint perked up with enlightenment. "I love you! Han Sung Yu!"
"Shut up and prepare me coffee."
"O-Of course!" Quint rushed off to do his bidding. Lucky for him, Han didn't state any time limit but he returned with a tray loaded with two cups of hot coffee. Taking one and putting it up near his lips, the administrator felt content. Complementing on the strong aroma of the coffee, he bid the 3rd floor's administrator farewell and retired to his room. Getting out of his usual attire and letting his hair down, he laid on his bed and stared up at the ceiling deep in thought.
"Pocket, visible mode." He decided to call out and his Pocket appeared in the air, shaped like a red feather. "Phone call on- call Lero Ro please." The words 'Dialing' and 'Lero Ro' appeared as the Pocket obeyed its owner's command. The administrator grinned to himself. "Hm- I knew I was smart."
Somewhere else...
"This test was indeed strenuous and challenging." I commented, noting how spacious the room was and how quiet everyone was. "A lot of the teams didn't make it up here."
"Hmph. But there are more here than I thought." Khun stated with mild surprise as he looked around too. "It looks like over 20 teams...but break is almost over. I should go to the bathroom."
"Oh okay. Got it." I said as the blue-haired boy started to walk away towards one of the test helpers to explain his situation. I twiddled my fingers and stared at the floor in thought.
"Hey there! Lucky girl!" Looking up I saw a boy in a purple jumpsuit smiling at me. "You passed this one too!" He extended his hand out to me in greeting. "I'm Shibisu, a Regular just like you! Nice to meet you! What's your name?"
"Oh! I'm Ryeval Kayeon." I replied and shook his outstretched hand with a smile of my own. His words...they're a pleasant baby green...what a very cheerful fellow.
"And who might the name of the large guy be?" Shibisu questioned as he looked at Rak who was sitting right next to me, his spear leaning against his shoulder.
"I'm Leader Rak." Rak introduced himself in a gruff voice.
"Leader Rak?" The boy repeated, placing his hands on his hips.
"I'm the true leader of the era."
"Ahaha! You've got some funny guys on your team!" Shibisu chuckled as he plopped down next to me to continue the conversation. "By the way, you're awesome! You just look ordinary and you made it up here!"
"No...not really." I replied, hoping that I wasn't blushing because of his compliments. "It's all thanks to my teammates."
"Don't forget there will probably be scarier ones later on." Shibisu warned as he glanced around the room. "There aren't many teams left which means that this test is almost over...and it will become more difficult..." He smiled. "But I'll pass them all. I made a promise to my friend to make it up the Tower."
So he has...almost the same...goals as I.
"Ryeval, if you don't mind me asking but why did you come into the Tower?" He asked me, jolting me out of my thoughts.
"Oh...I...I need to find a...certain someone." I replied before looking off to the side. "No...I have to find that certain someone."
"A certain someone?" He repeated, looking at me with thoughtful eyes. "Is there a Regular that you know?"
"I'm...not entirely sure." I admitted. "I just...have this feeling..."
"Listen, the Inner Tower is too huge to find a single person. But..." He patted me on the shoulder with that same contagious smile of his. "I hope you find what you're searching for."
"T-Thanks." I watched as he stood up and bid us goodbye, hoping that our paths would cross again once the test was over. I stated the same thing just as Khun returned from his bathroom break, keeping his gaze on Shibisu's retreating figure before joining us.
"Did you enough rest? Regulars?" The door opened and Lero Ro walked towards us with Yellowy right behind him. "I'm so happy to see you all again!"
"Oh! Mr. Lero Ro." I exclaimed when I remembered the test administrator from the last test.
"Hahaha! I came here with very good news." He said, getting everyone's attention. "I talked with the top supervisor before I came here. She told us to give you a bonus game!"
"Sorry but it's not good for us to have more tests!" Shibisu opposed the idea right on the spot.
"Sorry to hear that." Lero Ro apologized with a smirk on his face. "The Bonus game has nothing to do with the tests. It is up to each team to choose whether to play the Bonus game. There is no penalty if you don't participate. However, the winner gets to pass the final test of this floor. They get the right to go straight to the next floor."
"The right to go to the next floor?" Khun questioned, a little doubt nagging in the back of his mind. "Then what about the remaining tests?"
"They don't have to take them." Lero Ro answered, leading to a bunch of side conversations between the Regulars as they tried to decide their next course of action. Opportunities such as this is rare to come by and the offer was too tempting to let go.
"So, what exactly is this 'Bonus' game?" One voice spoke up as heads began to nod.
"It's a game called 'The Crown Game'." Lero Ro smiled, knowing that he now had our undivided attention. "I will explain the details to you when we get to the game spot." Snapping his finger he transported everyone into another room filled with lots of...well rooms. Each team was stationed in a separate room from the rest and they could only see the massive throne in the middle.
"Woow, this is incredible." I mused underneath my breath.
"Now that you've all been transmitted to this spot I will explain the game to you!" Lero Ro's voice was amplified by a floating yellow cube so that everyone could hear. "The Crown game is in short—a 'Crown stealing game'."
Hmmm? A crown? I peered out to see the said item laying on the throne's seat. Is that what that thing is?
"The team that holds this crown at the last moment wins the game." Lero Ro picked the item so that we could see, twirling it around his arm. "It looks simple but the rules are a bit complicated. First is the time limit. A game consists of 5 rounds and each round is 10 minutes long. Only 5 teams can participate in each round, and the team that possesses the crown at the end of each round becomes the winning team to proceed to the next round."
This sounds a bit like the fight to death...I thought with a grimace, tightening my hold on the Black March. I...I must survive this!
"In the next round, 4 new teams and the winning team from the previous round will compete for the crown. The true winner will be the team that has the crown at the end of the 5th round. So that you know, if you want to participate in the game, press the red buzzer at the entrance of each of your rooms. Only 5 teams can participate and it will be done in a first-come-first-served basis. If several teams press the buzzer simultaneously, the team that participated the most will get the chance."
This thing? I noticed the huge red buzzer attached to the wall with a bunch of words scribbled around it. There was also a little paragraph or so of the rules attached below the button. This is some incentive here...
"Don't do anything rash Ryeval." Khun warned, watching me with his blue orbs.
"I know, Khun." I replied.
"But there is a way to finish the game early." Lero Ro pointed to the throne with a finger. "And that is to sit on the throne wearing the crown before 5 minutes is up. The moment someone sits on the throne, the round automatically ends. And the sitting team becomes the winner of the round. The icky part is that some movement will be restricted. If there was a winning team at the end of a previous round, that team may keep the crown however at least one team member must stay seated on the throne with the crown on their head."
"Almost like a king huh?"
"I can totally see myself sitting on that throne." Rak mused to himself.
"If the crown wearer comes off the throne or loses the crown, that team will be eliminated from the test. If another team takes the crown and sits on the throne, that team wins the round."
"What...then obviously, it's disadvantageous to participate early..." Khun commented which didn't go undetected by Lero Ro.
"Correct!" The administrator smiled as he strengthened Khun's statement. "The winner of the previous round carries a big risk in the next round!"
"Huh...he heard that? From up there?" The blue-haired boy looked startled while I commented that the administrator had very nice hearing.
"But, if you postpone participating because of the risk...you won't be able to get into the game at the end!" Lero Ro warned.
That's also correct...Khun frowned as he started to formulate a strategy inside his mind. Everyone will want to be in the last game but there are only 5 teams that can participate in one round...
"Well, although there are a lot of rules and limitations, the point is that the team with the crown at the end of the last round is the winner." Lero Ro settled the crown on his own head with a smirk. "Don't think too much. You just have to steal the crown."
He makes it sound so damn easy...I released a small sigh in hopes of calming my nerves down.
"Oh, and one more thing. Another team from another test spot will be participating. I'd love to explain but it is a long story."
Regulars from another test spot...? Khun and I shared a confused look. Is that even allowed?
"Well! You can check the details in the instruction book located next to the buzzer." Lero Ro removed the crown and set it down on the throne seat. "Let's start the game! I will count to 5! So the teams that want to participate must press the buzzer during the count! From here on out I will count for the first round of participants! One!"
"Let's stay for now." Khun told us just as the administrator reached the number two count. "The first round is too risky."
"Okay." I agreed with him, placing my trust in him completely. Rak didn't seem to object but kept a tight grip on his spear. As the count down continued Regulars in other rooms were looking and feeling anxious, watching to see which teams would go out first as the count continued, getting closer and closer to 5.
"Ahhhh~ Can't you two be...less impulsive." A voice spoke up and my eyes widened in surprise when I recognized the voice. "I somehow knew you would go out without thinking."
"I don't think this one is hard." The other two teammates stated simultaneously.
"Oh?" Rak looked equally surprised. "It's that turtle from earlier."
"Shibisu...his team is going first?" I wondered before glancing at the other team. "But who are those guys that they're going against?"
"Who knows but that's not the issue at the moment." Khun replied as he looked at the two teams in a calming manner. "Stay vigilant...watch them carefully until the end."
"The count is now over!" Lero Ro's voice spoke from above. "The first round of the Crown game...begins now!"